The Medallion Legend
by Midnight Kayari
Summary: About the elemental medallions Link had to collect in Ocarina of Time. Followed by a poem are six stories of the souls that inhabit the medallions. The spirits reveal that the goddesses weren't the only ones who played a role in the creation of Hyrule...
1. Prologue

**The Medallion Legend**

Only one may touch us and bring us all together

Only one may find us and use us for the better

Our holders hold great power though they must pray far apart

For their power is not balanced and they are not pure of heart

But the one boy who may hold the six great treasures at his chest

He has the greatest courage one could possibly possess

But others will have courage, too, though none that could surpass

So these rules, though they may seem strange, only he could pass

The first great power, the power of Light

Would be bestowed along with might

The second force, life of the Forest

Would be where he will rise and rest

The third force, passion that burns in Fire

Could overcome any false desire

The fourth force, ripples of the Water

His wishful bride to be: the royal Zora daughter

The fifth force, deceptive evil of Shadow

His heart would be torn to fight demons hollow

The sixth force, the burning strong Spirit

Will be so strong within his grip

The six of us our might combined

Will have that Ganondorf confined

The courage of the calm Farore

The wisdom of the wise Nayru

The power of the prideful Din

Blessed him with greatness from within

Their mark of golden triangles three

Upon the hand of the Hylian among the Kokiri

And so our legend echoes true

The boy, in time, his powers grew

He found the sacred temples six

Elements that were never to mix

Blended to make the most beautiful gleam

We six powers were more than we seemed


	2. Forest Medallion

Chapter One: Daughter of the Forest

When the world was new, Farore created me. With her rich soul, she poured her life into this earth so that those with life could uphold the law that the great goddess Nayru laid down for us. It was no simple task, what the golden ones did for us. But this is not their story. This story is our story; the story of the spirits that reside within the six sacred medallions.

I am rather proud to admit that I was one of the first. At first there were only three of us. There was my brother, Fire, and my sister, Water, and me, the Forest. I must say, though, Water and Fire fought so much that huge areas of the earth would be clouded in steam, and parts of me would no longer be a normal forest, but would grow one with the steam and create jungles, swamps, and rain forests. I suppose that sometimes good things come out of fighting. My sister, Shadow, and my brother, Light, were the next ones to come. They brought so many different things into this world, it would be impossible for me to tell you them all. Last, my sister Spirit came to be. She brought both love and hatred into this world, and alongside those many other emotions. You could say that she forged the human heart.

But rather than telling you some boring sob story on the different ways that my brothers, sisters and I brought into being, I'll tell you of the story before we pledged our souls to the elements upheld by the goddesses. The story of when we were human.

zzz

It was late in the afternoon, and the seven of us, though one was not our sister, were running merrily through the new fields of Hyrule. Life was simple for us back then, and we, as children, indulged in our bliss. The sun was always shining, the grass was always green, and we never needed to eat a thing. Besides that, in fact for the longest time, none of us grew a day older, despite the many moons that had passed us by.

I would usually be planting the seeds of plant life. I was utterly fascinated in the growth of life, and I felt that the closest I could get to it was through the plants. I felt as though I could speak with the plants, and we could understand each other, though none of us spoke the same language.

This was probably why I was chosen to be the daughter of the forest. It was all because of my connection to life. When the goddesses first came to me, I smiled at them in my naiveté and asked them if they could hear the silent life speaking to them as well. They laughed at me playfully, and asked me if I had ever wanted to do something spectacular for this world I called home. I was young, I could not refuse them. Besides, I was more than happy to oblige.

"You may become the daughter of the Forest, a very important element that holds the balance of life in check. But if you do, you will never again see your home as you see it now. Are you still willing to oblige?"

I was ecstatic listening to all of what they were saying. I wanted more than anything to encourage life and help it grow, and if I became the Forest child they spoke of, I could. I eagerly agreed to their proposal, and kneeled down before them to accept their blessing. I wanted, no, I needed to become the holder of the balance of life. And the goddesses knew that I was the one destined to do just that.

Before I knew it, I was encased in a green light. My grey eyes became green and my ears came to a point at the tips now. Before then they had been fat and round. I felt the world's life force coursing through my body. It felt so good, like everything that had a purpose was telling me its secrets, its hopes, and that it cared for me. I had become the first Kokiri.

The golden ones broke the serenity with their soft-spoken words. "Now you are a child of the forest, the daughter of the Forest. You hold within your body the most free-willed essence of all…life. Now we leave you with these instructions: take this seed and plant it to the south east of this field. It will grow into a mighty tree, and his name shall be Deku. He will become the father of the forest, and by his branches a forest will grow. And take this seed and plant it just north of the Deku seed. This one will become the Boko tree, a tree of mystery. From him the Lost woods will begin to protect the Temple that will be built in dedication to you, who gave your mortal life to become the source of life. Your race, the race of the Kokiri, will be a part of that forest. Your race may never leave the safety of the forest, for you will all be the origins of life. The everlasting Children of the Forest," and then they handed me a single pink seed, no larger than my pinky nail and a black seed the size of my palm.

I quickly ran to the south east of my home in the field and planted the pink seed. Within moments, green sprouted from the earth. Within minutes, the green had become a tree sprout about as tall as I was which was no larger than what you mortals would call a child. I then ran slightly north and planted the large, black seed. This one did not sprout so quickly, and I became rather disappointed.

But then I heard a voice that sounded like it had come from the previous tree I had planted. I turned around, and in the distance I could see that it had a face and was looking at me, though I had no fear in me. The voice said, "He will grow in time, Forest, be patient. Come play with me while I wait to grow!"

zzz

Many long years passed, and a great forest did indeed grow. From blossoms in the Great Deku Tree's branches, small children with pointed ears were born. The Deku Tree instructed them to build a temple in my honor, for I was the Kokiri deity and thus required worship. When the Kokiri had completed construction, the most magnificent thing of all happened. A new area of the forest with darker trees grew quickly and began to loom over the temple.

I then heard a voice, though this one was much deeper than the Great Deku Tree's voice. "I am the Boko Tree, the tree of mystery. From me I have created the Lost Woods. Let it be known that those who get lost beneath these branches will never return. Kokiri children, heed my warning." And then there was nothing. Life among the Kokiri resumed as usual.

Many more years passed, and my fellow Kokiri grew curious. They wanted to know what was outside of their secluded paradise of life. But I knew what would become of them if they left. I knew that they would die, and I could not bear to lose the Kokiri, whom I had come to love as my own brothers and sisters.

I went to the Great Deku Tree to discuss the issue. All of the Kokiri believed everything that he said because he was their father, and so he decided to come up with the Two Laws. The first one was that they were never to leave the forest, and the second was never to enter the woods. After these laws had been established, I began to feel strange.

"What is happening, Great Deku Tree?" I asked my friend. The tree smiled and motioned at me to look at what had fallen from one of his blossoms. It was a little Kokiri girl with unnaturally green hair. "The Sage of Forest has been born."

And before I knew it, I was encased in a shining green disc of impenetrable material. I felt no bitterness, however. I felt more in tune with the source of life than I ever had before. And I was grateful to the golden ones for allowing me to have this fate. The fate of the Forest Medallion.


	3. Fire Medallion

Chapter Two: Son of Fire

As my sister may have already told you, we were created by the golden ones. Though she only spoke of the life givers, Farore and Nayru. She's always been like that, a life-lover, caretaker of all that blossoms and sprouts from the ground. But she did not mention the goddess who started it all, the one who created the red earth with her flaming arms, Din. And it was those flaming arms of hers, that burning soul that sparked my interests. But again, this is not the story of the goddesses. This is, indeed, the story of my siblings and I.

It was Din's fiery power that made me wish to pursue the beautiful red embers that surrounded her golden form. I thought that maybe if I could harness that strange power she used, I could become great like her. Of course, I had no idea how right I was.

zzz

I remember the days when we were all human. There was even one girl that wasn't our sister, though for the life of me I can not recall her name. She was very beautiful. She was the only one among us with blonde hair and blue eyes. The rest of us had white hair and grey eyes. I remember Water always hanging around with her. She said that maybe the girl's ethereal beauty would pass to her if they became true friends. I didn't buy it, so I tried to keep my distance. I was always concerned that I might burn the girl with my fire. After all, I was a pyromaniac.

The days passed us by, we children practically drowned ourselves in the joys of the field, the only place we knew. In fact, it was the only place there was. But one day, Forest left us. She didn't say a word, she just took off south-east of here. None of us ever heard from her again. But little did I know that I was the one who would be called upon by the golden ones to join my sister in a place known as the Sacred Realm.

I was playing with flint and tinder, enjoying the warmth and beauty of the flames. I was fascinated by the way they danced around. It was strange how, even if a few sparks escaped the burning branches, the fire would never spread farther that I willed it to. I loved it. Amidst my unwavering attention to the flames, they, the golden ones, appeared before me.

"You may become the son of Fire, a very important element that holds the passions, desires, and warmth of the world together. But if you do, you will never again see your home as you see it now. Are you still willing to oblige?"

I hesitated. I loved fire, but I also loved my brother and sisters, and that one girl who nobody really knew but we loved her anyways. If I became whatever they were going to let me become, I would never see any of them again. But then I remembered that Forest had already left us. Were the goddesses the ones that took her away? The very goddesses who put her here in the first place?

"Remember, this is your choice to make. We can not force your destiny upon you; you must take hold of it on accord of your own free will."

It was the word "destiny" that sparked my interest. The fire always spoke to me of destiny, and how nothing on heaven or earth could keep it the same as it was at the beginning of time. It spoke of how destiny would always be changing because of the choices that people could make. I wanted to find out more about this so called "destiny" since in the long time I had been living as a human, it seemed as though the only choices that the seven of us ever had to make was weather to sleep in or wake up, or what game we were going to play that day. I wanted to find out how I could change the course of this monotonous, yet blissful life I had always known. Without another thought, I agreed to become this "son of Fire" that the golden ones willed me to be.

I kneeled down before them and bowed my head to accept their blessing. Before I knew it, I was encased in a warm, red light. My grey eyes became deep blue, far deeper than the eyes of the blonde girl, and my ears became virtually non-existent. My skin began to harden into a rock-like substance, and I grew all round in the middle. Yet I was blessed with new, strong arms. I felt the heat of an enormous flame pulse through my body. It felt so good, like everything that had desire was telling me its passions and dreams. I had become the first Goron.

When the light receded, the golden ones spoke again. "Now you are the son of Fire, and the forger of the hillside and mountains. You have one true task before you now. You must accept the fate you chose."

I looked all around me. I saw no such hillsides or mountains.

As if they could hear my every thought, they said, "Do not be confused, you will be the one to make them. Take this eternal flame and bring it north of here. Place it on the ground. From it, a great mountain will grow. You may name it as you wish. But at the core of this mountain will be a place of eternal heat, and within it you will instruct your people, the Gorons, to build a temple in your honor."

I took the flame in my hands and tried to run as fast as I could to the far north, but to my dismay I was not all that quick on my feet. Then I felt a heat in my chest that told me to become what form the fire took in order to make it there faster. The fire changed into a round sphere, and so I crouched down and became a ball. I began to roll my way, faster and faster, to the north where I was instructed to go. I was having the time of my life.

Shortly after the blast of ecstasy that was coursing through my solid veins at this very moment, I arrived at the spot the fire told me to place it. I laid the embers on the dirt-covered ground, and then a large rumbling sound shook the earth. It wasn't just a sound, the world was actually shaking. From the spot that the fire was placed, a large, rocky monument erupted from the ground. This must have been what the golden ones spoke of when they told me of the mountain. It was glorious.

When the earth stopped rumbling, I climbed to the peak. From there, I could see all of Hyrule field, and even noticed that a new and rather large forested area had appeared far south-east of here. That must have been what Forest was instructed to create, just as I had been instructed to create this mountain. I looked back to the center of the world, the place where I had come from. I could see my sisters, brother, and the girl who was not one of us running around having the times of their lives. My heart lurches, and a single tear emerged from my eye as I reminisced the times I shared with them and would never share with them again, for I had a greater duty ahead of me.

At the spot where my tear dropped and dried, a tiny rocky grain emerged from the ground. It grew and grew, until it sprouted arms and legs and was roughly the size of me. It stood up and said, "Hello!" and from that day forward, we became close friends.

zzz

Many years passed, and from my place atop the mountain I could see that many bodies of water had emerged from the land as well. I suspected that perhaps another one of my siblings had been chosen to become an elemental force. Along with that, many new Gorons had been born, and the construction of the temple to be built in my honor within the inside of the mountain was nearing completion. I was happy with what I had chosen to do with my life. I had changed the world, just as I had always wanted.

A few more months passed, and the Temple was complete. A few of my fellow Gorons decided to climb to the peak of the mountain to celebrate, but who could have foretold the disaster…and the miracle that came after it… that was to come of it?

One of the Gorons fell from the peak to his death, the first time I had ever seen anything die. I was sent into total shock. I jumped off after him, but to my surprise, I did not receive even a scratch from the fall. But I discovered that in the place the Goron had fallen to his demise, a large, black, round flower was sprouting up from the ground. I remembered that the Goron who had fallen had been named Darbombi, so I decided to name it the Bomb Flower. I picked it up, only to discover that the red spiky things on top of it lit itself, and the black part started to flash red. "RUN!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. All of the Gorons ran as I threw the Bomb Flower into the wall.

Within moments, there was a huge explosion. A huge cavern was blasted into the mountain side. One of the Gorons walked into it and picked up a piece of rock that had fallen off in the debris. He sniffed it and popped it into his mouth. "Yum!" he exclaimed as he continued to shove the rocks into his mouth. This was absolutely unheard of. No one had ever…eaten anything before, and now this Goron was eating rocks like there was no tomorrow.

zzz

Years had passed since the death of Darbombi, the death that brought about the name of this mountain. Yes, Death Mountain became the name of my new home. Gorons now needed to eat rocks to live, and Bomb Flowers were being cultivated all across the mountain. I couldn't quite understand why I was still alive and young though. In all of my time spent here, generations of Gorons were born and died, and I never even grew any older. Perhaps this was part of my part as the son of Fire.

But then one day, my body began to feel strange. A new Goron had been born, but there was something different about him. He possessed the same fiery aura as I did before I became a Goron. This must have been the sage of my element, the Sage of Fire. This meant that my time on earth in this form was finally over. I could fulfill my destiny.

I relaxed my entire body and succumbed to the familiar warmth of the red light I had seen so many timed before. Only this time it was different. I was suddenly encased in a shining red disc that I could not break through. And for some reason I still had consciousness. I was still alive. But I decided that it was well passed my time for a good, long rest, so I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, awaiting the day I would be called upon once more.


	4. Spirit Medallion

Chapter Four: Sister of Spirit

Long ago, so long ago that I can only faintly remember that far off time, there were three golden goddesses that created Hyrule and my fellow brothers and sisters. Din, who created the very land that served as the foundation for everything more to come; Nayru, who created law, or what you mortals would know as scientific truths such as the law of Gravity; and Farore, who gave life to the barren earth so that something could uphold the laws of her sister.

I remember this faintly, for at the time I was only a fading star, same as my brothers and sisters, in the infinite chaos. I remember watching as those three beautiful beings descended from what appeared to be nowhere. It was as if the entire galaxy was suddenly lit up from its former pitch black state.

And then everything went white. When I awoke again, I was in a strange, tiny body that the golden ones called a "human." There were six others besides me as well. We all had white hair and grey eyes that resembled the color of the stars we once were, except for one girl who had golden hair and blue eyes. No one really knows much about her though.

And this is where my part of this story began…

zzz

You could say I resented the blonde girl. She wasn't like us, and I doubted that she had been a star like the rest of us. In fact, I had no idea what she must have been or where she must have come from before she was put on this earth in that form that wasn't even human. I mean, she didn't even have rounded ears like the rest of us. They were long and pointed. Who was she? I just can't remember.

But my sister, water, just couldn't stay away from her. Water wanted to be just like the girl with golden hair, although I couldn't even begin to imagine why. She was so introverted. She hardly ever spoke, and when she did, it was in strange sayings. She was always either sitting to herself while Water chattered away at her or somewhere we didn't know about apparently talking to the goddesses. What made her want to talk to the goddesses so much?

I guess you could say that I had mixed feelings towards her. I didn't all out dislike her, but I just couldn't bring myself to enjoy her company. We just didn't click.

zzz

One day I got bored of watching Water and the blonde girl, and I decided to wander off into the distance. I wandered so far that I could no longer see the trees of the forest that had sprouted up not too long ago, and I could only see the tip of the mountain that had appeared shortly after. Just as I was beginning to feel tired, a great light appeared before me, and there were the three golden goddesses in all of their glory.

"You may become the Sister of Spirit, a very important element that holds the wavering emotions of the heart in check. But if you do, you will never again see your home as you see it now. Are you still willing to oblige?"

_Why not?_ I thought to myself. I had nothing to lose. Water was always busy hanging around Blondie, the twins Shadow and Light only played with each other, and Forest and Fire had disappeared a while back. I was, technically, alone.

I nodded my head and kneeled down to accept their blessing. In the blink of an eye, my body was engulfed by a peaceful orange light. All of my mixed feelings towards the blonde girl vanished into nowhere. My eyes became a golden color like that of the strange girl's hair and my skin darkened to a beautiful even tan. My hair became the red of blood, and it was very thick and shiny. I felt as if all weight had been lifted off of my shoulders and that gravity no longer had such a strong pull on my body. It felt amazing, like I could hear the very spirit of the world singing to me and telling me of things to come and the things it dreamed of. I had become the first Gerudo.

The light receded, and the golden ones broke the silence. "Now you are the Sister of Spirit, and the mother of the desert. You will also take on a second name, and that name shall be Nabooru. Every Gerudo child that bears your mark from this day forward will be named after who they will know to be the Goddess of Sand, you. Take this gem and take it north-west of here. Bury it in the ground, and sand will appear all around you. It will be here where your people will build a monument in your honor, for you have chosen the tragic path of a pseudo-goddess in exchange for your life of eternal bliss in order to change the cycle of the world. All of your people will pray to you, and through you, their prayers will come to us. We thank you, Nabooru."

That name sounded strange to my ears. But I was happy nonetheless.

"Now, we are sorry that we must do this to your future people, but it has been instructed to us by the goddess of time that there be a tribe in its entirety to be women of the desert. A male will be born to you but once every hundred years, and you shall make that man king. However, if that man is twisted with a black heart, you must overthrow him and put the most capable ruler in his place. If the sage of Spirit is around at that time, she will be next in line for the Gerudo throne. Now go, and do as you have been instructed." And then they disappeared.

Well, I did as I was told, and a buried the gem in the ground. I was amazed at what happened next. All around me, grains of yellowed particles sprang up from the ground like a rivulet. The sand stretched as far as the eye could see in all directions. But then, in the very spot that I stood, grass began to sprout beneath my feet and from the sand. And they were closely followed by a strange kind of tree that looked as though it had fingers stemming off from its trunk, and thus I called it a "Palm Tree." A large, clear spring bubbled up in the grassy area as well.

zzz

And so the years went by, and Gerudo like me appeared in the desert, though from where they came I do not know. They were all women, just as the goddesses had said. And in time we had built up a great fortress in the desert together, and that is what we called home. When all had gotten settled in, we built the great temple in the Desert Colossus. It was a grand, beautiful tower that was built in the form of a woman. I couldn't help but think that the woman it was supposed to resemble was me.

One day, something very unusual happened. A little dark-skinned, red-haired boy appeared. As I had been instructed by the goddesses, I put this boy in charge of my people. He turned out to be a strong and benevolent ruler. I was relieved that I was able to leave my people in such trustworthy hands. After all, even though I had grown no older than the day I became a Gerudo, I knew that my time in this form, in this place, was almost up.

Within a few years, the boy had grown to be an even better man. He fathered the rest of the race of the Gerudo, but it was a little strange to see that they were only female children. The goddesses weren't kidding when they said we would be an all female tribe. But one child was born who was even more beautiful than the rest. She was born with a small mark that looked like my symbol – like the crest of spirit.

"Nabooru," I called out, "will be this child's name. Though she can not rule this generation, for a King already sits in her place, if there ever comes a time when there is no king, or the king is not a noble heart, then the child who bears my crest will be appointed the throne. And that child shall always be named for me…Nabooru…"

As soon as I had conveyed my words to them, my body began to feel light. This was, however, an entirely different feeling from when I had transformed into a Gerudo. Before I knew it, my entire body and soul had been compressed into an unbreakable shining disk. I felt at ease, like I could finally have a rest after all of these years. I was pleased to have finally met my long-awaited fate. The fate of the Spirit Medallion.


End file.
